Letheringsett Hall

Updated 17 October 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 1 September 2017 and was unannounced. One inspector and an expert by experience carried out the inspection. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before we carried out the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included statutory notifications that the provider had sent us over the last year. A statutory notification contains information about significant events that affect people's safety, which the provider is required to send to us by law. We also contacted the local authority and two health professionals familiar with the home for their views on the service.

During our inspection we spoke with twelve people who used the service and five visiting relatives.

We also spoke with the acting manager, two deputy managers and three care staff members.

We viewed the care records for four people and the medicines records for four people. We also looked at records in relation to the management of the home. These included the recruitment files for three staff members, staff training records, compliments and complaints, quality monitoring audits and minutes from meetings held.

Updated 17 October 2017

This inspection took place on 1 September 2017 and was unannounced.

Letheringsett Hall provides accommodation and care for up to 20 older people. At the time of this inspection 17 people were living in the home.

Our previous inspection in July 2016 identified two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. These related to implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the governance of the service. This September 2017 inspection found that improvements had been made in both of these areas and that the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations.

The provider was one of the two registered managers for the service. However, the registered manager who managed the service on a day to day basis had left five weeks prior to this inspection. A new manager had been appointed. They told us that they would be applying for registration. In the meantime the provider was at the service on a daily basis managing the home and overseeing the transition to the new manager.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People felt safe living in the home and were cared for by staff that treated them considerately and with respect. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and provide them with caring, prompt and effective support. People’s medicines were managed safely and administered as prescribed for them.

Assessments of people’s ability to make decisions about their care had been completed and appropriate applications were made to the local authority’s DoLS team when required. People’s independence was supported without their safety being compromised. People’s healthcare needs were managed well and people had access to a range of healthcare professionals. The service regularly sought the views of people about the standard of service that they received.

People liked the food and the service sought to provide as much homemade food as possible. Staff were trained and well supported to undertake their duties.

The home was well led and worked effectively with healthcare professionals. People knew the provider and the manager well. A smooth transition to the new manager was underway.